Drunk Driver From CT Stopped With Spike Strip On Busy Highway

After refusing to stop for officers, a Connecticut drunk driver's ride was finally cut short after authorities deployed a spike strip on a busy highway interchange in the Hudson Valley, police said.

The pursuit ended on Interstate 84 eastbound in the town of Southeast.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps street view/Pixabay via Diego Fabian Parra Pabon*

Ben Crnic

06/25/2023 3:30 p.m.

The incident happened in Putnam County on Friday, June 16 just after 11:30 p.m., when patrol officers saw a Jeep Commander commit a traffic infraction on Route 52 in Kent, according to Kent Police.

The officers tried pulling the Jeep over, but it refused to stop and started driving erratically in an eastbound direction on Interstate 84.

At this point, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office began assisting with the pursuit and deployed spike strips in the area of the highway's interchange with Interstate 684 in Southeast. Once the Jeep drove over the strip, its passenger-side rear and front tires deflated.

Even after this though, the vehicle continued until finally coming to a stop near mile marker 69, police said.

Once they made contact with the driver, identified as 31-year-old Litchfield County resident Yenni Perez-Morel of New Milford, patrol officers smelled an odor of alcohol coming from her breath. She then refused to complete sobriety tests and was taken into custody, where she was charged with:

Driving while intoxicated (first offense);
Second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

Perez-Morel was then issued a ticket to appear in court at a later date.

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